


How Shall I Warm You?

by Calyah



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 14:34:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5669515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calyah/pseuds/Calyah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Solas and Judith find comfort in one another when the events of Sahrnia weigh heavily on their minds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Shall I Warm You?

**Author's Note:**

> Part of an art/fic exchange with tumblr user kitteria. Judith Lavellan belongs to her.

It was not often that sleep eluded him. The comforting familiarity of the Fade was so typically like a warm beacon, drawing him in and allowing him to slip into memory and dreams with ease. But tonight was different. Solas wanted to think that perhaps it was the cold earth beneath his bedroll, the rocks sharp and perpetually frozen, but he knew better than to delude himself. It was the events of the day that troubled his mind. Sahrnia Quarry with its infestation of red lyrium, mined so carelessly by those under Corypheus’ thrall, was not an easy thing to forget. Neither were the bodies of the slaves left behind to rot in metal cages once the task was done. That chilled him more than any frozen ground ever could.

And so slumber remained elusive. Solas closed his eyes and let his mind wander until the precipice of the Fade stood within reach once more. He skirted along the edge, trying to lull himself over to the land of friends and dreams, but try as he might, he could not keep his conscious thoughts at bay and his body jerked awake. With a sigh, he rolled to his side and stretched out an arm to search for Judith. He hoped that pulling her close and wrapping his senses with her touch and scent would settle himself enough to finally get some rest. 

Solas frowned when his hand met nothing but air and the soft furs spread across the tent floor. Stretching further, he opened his eyes. Silence and solitude greeted his vision. Judith was nowhere to be seen in the small space.

“Vhenan?” Solas called out softly, though he knew the the act to be superfluous. The lack of warmth on the other side of their shared bedroll told him she must have been absent for quite some time.

Sitting up, Solas wrapped a warm cloak around his body and moved to peer outside. The night was quiet and cold. Snow fell upon the Emprise du Lion and a thick blanket of clouds covered the stars. A few soldiers ambled around the camp, shivering beneath their armor as they performed their patrol or huddled close to the nearest torch fire, but Solas did not see Judith among them.

With a huff to steel himself against the chill, Solas pushed fully into the open night. The soldiers nodded his way, and he acknowledged them with a slight dip of his chin, but he pressed on.

He could feel the slight hum of the anchor. It buzzed forever along the periphery of his mind, as his own power called to him. It lead him past the ice-covered rocks that provided the secure border of the encampment and through a narrow cavern until he came upon an outcropping that overlooked a good portion of the valley below.

There, off to the side near the sheer cliff wall, was Judith. Her thick, dark hair swirled and danced in the breeze, but her posture was rigid. Her small stature did nothing to allay the malevolent image she presented: hands clenched at her sides, fingers glowing with barely-contained magic, and her eyes staring darkly down at the icy tundra.

Solas took a step forward, but hesitated. His heart ached to go to her, to find and give comfort as was their way, but Judith was a private person by nature. He did not wish to disturb her if solitude was truly her desire. 

“Vhenan?” he questioned, his tone hopeful but uncertain.

Judith twitched at the sound of his voice, but as she glanced at him over her shoulder, he saw her stance relax and Solas felt slightly more at ease.

"Solas," she acknowledged him simply and turned back to stare at the valley.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Solas walked gently to her side and dipped his head to better see her face.

“What troubles you, vhenan?” He paused and reached out a hand to trail a finger across her still-clenched fist. “I did not hear you depart.”

"Yes, I know," she said in a soft exhale, perhaps meant to tease, but her tone was sharp. Solas knew her ire wasn't directed at him but the look in her eyes made him worry nonetheless. 

Solas watched as Judith’s jaw tightened. She glanced once more at him before returning her gaze to the darkness.

“I couldn't sleep,” she whispered, her voice tight with barely-controlled rage. “I'm not satisfied. Those Red Templars deserved a worse fate.”

Solas’ face softened in understanding. It seemed his own mind was not the only one troubled by the events of the day. The revulsion of slavery was just one of many traits he and Judith shared. 

“Yes,” he agreed but kept his own mournful anger at bay. Working open her hand and intertwining their fingers, Solas followed her gaze. The land below looked unblemished under the soft snow, the red lyrium buried and the quarry silent. It caused a distasteful frown to cross his lips. The blood of innocents should not have been so easily covered by the shroud of night. As if the transgressions could be hidden and forgotten to the shadows. He drew in a deep breath to steady himself. “I have faith that such things will not be left unchecked.” He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a tender kiss along her palm. “Faith in you.”

Judith snorted. “Maybe you shouldn’t,” she said bitterly. 

Solas frowned and drew her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. It was a testament to their relationship that she let him offer her such a comfort when she would easily spurn any other who attempted the same. 

“Why do you believe I am mistaken?” He cradled her chin in his hand and stroked a thumb across her cheek.

Judith’s eyes flashed suddenly with loathing as she met his gaze. “Because I already failed.” Her voice sounded thick and her anger laced heavily with guilt.

“You freed as many captive townsfolk as you could, vhenan,” Solas offered, not as a means of placation, but as a statement of truth. “Those who wish to cause pain cannot always be stopped before innocent lives are spent.”

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she murmured. "I should have gotten here sooner."

With a heavy sigh, Judith slumped forward and let her head rest against his chest. Solas encircled her with his arms and held her tight. He knew intimately the burden of guilt, and hoped she found the comfort in his embrace that he did in hers.

“Their captors are dead, but I can’t get those half-frozen and starved bodies out of my mind,” she whispered into the fur of his cloak. “Every damn time I close my eyes.” Her fingers curled into his clothes. “I can’t forget. I won’t forget.” Her breathing became ragged and he could almost feel the rapid beat of her heart. “Those responsible need to suffer. Those infested shems need to be gutted. They need…”

‘Shhh, vhenan,” Solas hushed hurriedly. He could feel his own anger rise, both at the Red Templars and for his own role in their existence, but he knew it would not help the situation. Instead, he cupped her face and steadied himself with the sensation of her cool skin against his palm. “They are not worth such occupation of your thoughts, nor do they deserve anymore of this sleepless night. Death and destruction. That is what they have sewn. That is what they shall reap."

Judith closed her eyes tight and swallowed, nodding as she listened to his words. They sat in silence a moment. The crisp air brushed against them and ruffled the fur of their cloaks. Snow continued to fall in a steady pace, dusting them with wet flakes. Judith shivered and sank deeper into his embrace.

“Perhaps we should return to our tent. The cold can be unforgiving,” Solas murmured and pressed a kiss into her hair, as he stroked a hand down her back.

“No, not yet.” Judith pulled back to look him in the eye. Her face was haunted but determined, a subtle shift in her demeanor as she held him close. “I like the quiet, and I only need you to keep me warm.” Her hands slid across the front of his belt briefly before she hooked her fingers into the loops.

Solas searched her face. In her eyes he saw the same need he had felt when he had reached for her in their tent. It was a desire to pull close and lose themselves in each other, to forget the troubles of the day and the world and exist only for the other's embrace. 

Letting his hands wander, Solas smoothed the cloak across her back and settled his grip at her hips. “And how shall I warm you?” he whispered and bent to place a soft kiss along her ear. Judith sighed at the contact and arched her neck, exposing more of her freckled skin to his attentions.

“Just make me forget.” Judith tugged on his belt and pulled their hips flush, causing a moan to slip past Solas’ lips. 

The simmering tension and need for release consumed Solas, then, and by the hurried movements of her hands and the graze of her lips against his jaw, he could tell Judith felt the same. It was a mutual need and a quiet frenzy for the anger to be dissolved and for comfort amongst so much chaos and despair.

Without another thought, Solas guided Judith backward, pressing her against the smooth stone of the cliff. He nipped at the shell of her ear and let his lips wander down her jaw until he reached the neckline of her robe.

“Yes,” Judith sighed, arching forward. Her hands curled into the cloth across his shoulders and urged him on. Solas was happy to oblige. Bracing one hand behind her head to shield her from the ice and cold of the rock, he trailed the other to the seam of her cloak. As his fingers dipped inside to find the soft flesh of her stomach, Solas pressed forward and captured her mouth with his own. Lips and breath mingled. Judith's soft moan answered his touch and Solas savored the sound, tilting his head to deepen their kiss 

As Solas' hand grazed her ribs, Judith's grip traveled lower and settled against his backside. With a squeeze, she coaxed him closer and rolled her hips against his thigh. 

Solas broke their kiss at the intimate contact and gasped for breath, his fingers curling into the rock as the pleasure of her touch drove his senses to the brink. That she could elicit such an immediate response from him and he from her continued to enthrall him beyond reason. 

Hungry for more, Solas hastily spread Judith's cloak and dipped his head, his lips claiming the freckled peak of her collarbone. He nipped and drew his tongue in a long line down her skin, suppressing a smile as he felt Judith's hands tighten and a breathless groan sound in her chest. A choked moan left his own mouth as his lips found the swell of her breast and Judith's head fell back, her hips rolling once again against his. 

"Vhenan..." he gasped, breathless and feeling himself become lost in her touch. His mouth dipped further and his fingers began to push away the fabric that obstructed his path across her skin. 

A loud clank of armor and the heavy sound of booted footfalls suddenly reached his ears. 

"Fenedhis," Judith whispered with an angry gasp and straightened in a clumsy motion. 

Solas fumbled with his cloak and quickly moved to block Judith from view, just as two patrolling guards rounded the bend and emerged from the dark cavern. 

"Oh!" one of the guards called out in surprise, obviously startled. "Inquisitor! I'm so sorry! We, uh..." The woman's gaze shifted quickly between Solas and Judith, taking in their disheveled state and the frowns upon their faces.

"It's fine. Continue on your watch," Judith replied, but her tone did not match her words. It was biting and irritated, and her glare sent the two guards in an almost stumbling pace back towards the cavern path. 

"Yes, ma'am!" With a quick salute, they scrambled back to their duty and disappeared into the dark. 

When the sounds of armor faded into the distance, Solas turned back to Judith. 

"I'm sorry, vhenan," he said with a resigned sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Her face was flushed and a wry smile graced her lips before it turned into a pout. 

"A fitting end to the day." Judith smoothed her hands over her cloak and tucked the fur lining close beneath her chin.

Solas frowned as he saw her shiver again, and pulled her close. 

"Then perhaps it is time to return to our tent." He placed a soft kiss across her brow and rubbed her arms to warm her, now aware of just how much snow had collected in her hair. "Let us rest." He paused and considered her. "I borrowed a selection of books from the library for our journey. Shall I read to you and lull us both to sleep?"

Judith drew her bottom lip between her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him. "So long as it's not one of Varric's romance serials."

Solas chuckled and linked their fingers. "I did bring one," he admitted and chuckled harder when she elbowed him gently in the ribs. "However, I will read whatever you desire."

With the first genuine smile he had seen from her all day, Judith stood on her toes and placed a swift kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she whispered. 

Together, they made their way back towards the camp. The night was still cold and long, but it no longer bothered Solas as much. Things were as they belonged: Judith by his side and he by hers.


End file.
